


A Pink Flower In the Snow

by Rozavie



Category: Code Lyoko, Code Lyoko Evolution
Genre: Alternate Universe - Beauty and the Beast Fusion, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Magic, Alternative Universe - Kingdom, Beauty and the Beast Elements, Canon-Typical Violence, F/M, Fantasy, Magic, Necromancy, Princess - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-30
Updated: 2021-03-13
Packaged: 2021-03-16 21:15:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 7,606
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29088927
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rozavie/pseuds/Rozavie
Summary: In the dismal, abandoned capitol city of the Kingdom of Lyoko, Jeremie Belpois discovers a lonely, mysterious princess. The beautiful young flower has been cursed to live her life as a beast, but Jeremie, a royal scholar for the Kingdom of Della Robbia swears to free her from her spell. With his limited knowledge of magic, and the impending threat of the evil necromancer king Xana, Jeremie must grapple with saving his damsel, while also finding a way to protect the world from sure destruction.A fantasy AU with elements of the beloved fairy tale classic, Beauty and the Beast.
Relationships: Aelita Schaeffer & Ulrich Stern, Aelita Schaeffer & X.A.N.A., Franz Hopper & X.A.N.A., Jeremie Belpois & Odd Della Robbia, Jeremie Belpois & Odd Della Robbia & Yumi Ishiyama & Aelita Schaeffer & Ulrich Stern, Jeremie Belpois & Ulrich Stern, Jeremie Belpois & William Dunbar, Jeremie Belpois & Yumi Ishiyama, Jeremie Belpois/Aelita Schaeffer, Odd Della Robbia & Aelita Schaeffer, Odd Della Robbia & Sissi Delmas, Odd Della Robbia & Ulrich Stern, Odd Della Robbia & William Dunbar, Odd Della Robbia & Yumi Ishiyama, Sissi Delmas & Ulrich Stern, Sissi Delmas & William Dunbar, Sissi Delmas & Yumi Ishiyama, William Dunbar & Aelita Schaeffer, William Dunbar & Yumi Ishiyama, Yumi Ishiyama & Aelita Schaeffer, Yumi Ishiyama & Ulrich Stern
Kudos: 9





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I have been working on this one for a loooong while. I finally feel like I can post it! Hope you enjoy!

“But your highness,” Jeremie protested, his nasally voice rising in indignance. “I’m your most trusted scholar, not some errand boy.”

Prince Odd leaned forward his throne. His too-large crown slid down his forehead comically, but Jeremie didn’t find anything about this situation funny.

Odd smiled and shrugged with cocky indifference. “You’re also my pal!” he exclaimed. “And I need you to do this for me. Please?”

“Why don’t you send Ulrich or Yumi? They’re your guards,” Jeremie pressed. He wanted to stay in his study and work on his research. If Odd sent him out on some hairbrained quest, Jeremie would have to put all of his experiments on hold.

That, Jeremie told himself, was something the kingdom couldn’t afford.

“I would, but you know I can’t do that!” Odd exhaled and slumped in his seat. “With King Xana—you know the guy with the magical zombie army who wants me dead—trying to get into the kingdom all the time, I need my body guards. I don’t want to leave myself open to that necromancer creep.”

Jeremie shook his head and looked down at the ground. “I’m the one conducting the research on how to get rid of Xana for good!”

“And have you made any progress in that research, smart guy?”

Jeremie stood silently. He hadn’t. But he knew that he was getting close to some kind of breakthrough. He had to be. He had scoured every single piece of literature in the continent that pertained to the subject, so he was bound to find an answer at some point.

“Listen,” Odd said gently and walked down the steps to where Jeremie was standing. “Maybe going out and getting a little fresh air will be good for you. You haven’t stepped foot out of your study for weeks. I’m worried about you, buddy.”

“Fine…” Jeremie closed his eyes and took in a deep, calming breath. “I’ll go. But if this takes more than a week like you promised, you owe me.”

“You got it, Jeremie! I promise. Cross my heart and hope to-” he paused and let out a shrill laugh that echoed through the entire throne room. “Well, I might actually die so just cross my heart I guess.”

Jeremie smiled slightly and then trudged out of the throne room, shaking his head once again in disbelief.

He was intercepted by Ulrich, wearing his usual yellow cuffed coat and a sword strapped to his hip. “It’s just a reconnaissance trip to check up on his cousin’s kingdom,” he assured his scholarly friend. “To see if they’ll join forces with him to protect both of our people from King Xana.”

“I know that,” Jeremie said. “But no one has heard from princess Aelita or king Franz in years. This might not be that simple.”

Yumi appeared at the end of the hall, wearing a long black waist coat and knee-length breeches—she was fond of men’s fashion choices and that always set her apart from the rest of the women in the palace.

“Don’t get discouraged, Jeremie,” Yumi chimed in encouragingly. “You’ll be back here in a couple days and then you can come back and research King Xana until you’re purple.”

Jeremie rolled his eyes to the back of his head but relented. “Keep an eye on Odd while I’m gone. And make sure no one touches my research!”


	2. Chapter 2

The forest was absolutely no place for a scholar. Jeremie’s long, green coat kept snagging on every branch and thorn along the way, and his horse was certainly not pleased to be here either. It didn’t help that it had begun to snow halfway through the journey, which froze Jeremie to his very core.

He had found his most practical clothing, but being a royal scholar meant that he was used to certain niceties, none of which were particularly well-equipped to fair in the wild.

His steed cantered over a hill, revealing the capitol city of the kingdom of Lyoko, and Jeremie let out a sigh of relief. His journey through the woods was finally complete. Now, he could stretch out in front of a nice fire as he relayed Odd’s request for an alliance. The sprawling city was covered in a thick layer of ice, as if the snow had been falling here for years, instead of hours. And all seemed quiet—suspiciously quiet.

Jeremie entered the silent city, keeping his head on a swivel for signs of life. But, to his surprise, there wasn’t a single person here. The houses and shops were all empty, their windows thick with dust and cobwebs.

Jeremie swallowed dryly and muttered to his horse, a shaky sort of nervousness rising inside his gut, “This would explain why we haven’t heard from king Franz.” Jeremie could only hope that the king and his daughter were both still alright. Although, the chances of this this seemed more and more slim with every step through the frigid and abandoned capitol.

Suddenly, a chilling howl pierced through the muffled snowfall. Jeremie turned in terror to see a wolf poised behind him, it’s hungry eyes reflecting the dim moonlight in a sickly green.

Jeremie cracked his reigns and sent his horse running forward, but instead of the animal carrying him away like he had planned, the bespectacled scholar tumbled off his saddle and into the snow.

“You stupid horse!” he yelled after the frightened creature that was already making a mad dash past the wolf and back into the woods. “I’m still here!”

But it was no use, Jeremie was all alone. Well, except for the wolf which was slowly stalking over to make a meal out of the skinny young man.

Jeremie backed up against a nearby house, his knees shaking uncontrollably in combination with the cold and the fear of his incoming demise.

The wolf lunged forward, and Jeremie cringed away. But before the canine could rip into him, a figure swooped down from the roof above and tackled the wolf with a grunt.

Jeremie looked up to see a man, his face obscured behind the hood of a black cloak wrestling the whimpering wolf into the snow. He had a massive broadsword strapped onto his back. “Go!” the mystery man shouted at Jeremie. “Into the palace!”

He didn’t need to be told twice, and Jeremie got to his feet, gathered himself, and made a mad dash for the palace which, to his relief was only a few houses away. He barreled through the gate and then through the looming front doors before collapsing to the grimy floor. He couldn’t seem to catch his breath, but he was safe.

After a few minutes, the man who had saved Jeremie’s life came through the door and closed it behind him, cutting the interior off from what was now a raging blizzard outside.

Jeremie sat up to thank the hero, but before he could get a word out, the sharp tip of his broadsword was suddenly poised at Jeremie’s neck. “What are you doing in Lyoko?” he demanded, glaring at Jeremie with a hateful fire in his eyes.

“Whoa!” Jeremie rose his hands in surrender. “I’m here on a reconnaissance mission-“

“A spy from the kingdom of Carthage, huh? One of King Xana’s lackeys come to take our dear princess?”

“No!” Jeremie pushed the sword away and stood indignantly. He adjusted his glasses and straightened his coat before digging into his satchel.

“Stay still!” the swordsman ordered.

“Oh, calm down,” Jeremie snapped.

He was tired, and cold, and scared, which made him snippy. He pulled a sealed envelope out from his bag and handed it over to the swordsman. “I am a scholar from Della Robia. Prince Odd sent me here to establish an alliance between Della Robia and Lyoko to fight against Carthage and King Xana.”

The swordsman looked at the letter suspiciously before snatching it away and ripping it open to analyze the contents. The page was stamped with the official royal crest of Della Robia, and it didn’t appear to be a fake.

He looked back up at Jeremie and sheathed his sword reluctantly. “That’s all well and good, but we can’t help you. As you can see, we’re not in the best shape to help anyone anymore.”

“What happened here?” Jeremie asked, finally releasing the tension from his shoulders now that he wasn’t being attacked by anyone.

But he wasn’t met with an answer, only a grim look and a dismissal response, “You should go back to where you came from.”

Jeremie opened his mouth to protest, but a high-pitched voice interrupted him before he could respond.

“William!”

The swordsman looked to the top of the stairs where a handmaiden wearing a white linen apron and uncut salmon skirt stood. “Stop being an idiot and bring your new friend to see the princess. She would like to speak with him.”

“Alright, alright. Thank you, Elizabeth.” William rubbed his eyes.

“It’s Sissi!” The maid flicked her hair angrily over her shoulder before turning around and stomping away down the hall.

William grabbed Jeremie’s arm roughly and guided him deeper into the palace. He explained some ground rules to the scrawny scholar as they walked, “Princess Aelita doesn’t like being seen. So she will be behind a screen for the duration of your conversation. Do not ask her anything unless she opens the floor for you to do so. And as soon as you’re done, you’ll leave this place and forget you were here. Got it?”

Jeremie nodded obediently, suddenly overcome with the worry that the princess might not be so nice.

They entered into a tidy study. Books lined countless shelves that surrounded a desk which was mostly hidden behind a pink fabric partition. A figure sat at the desk, only a muddled shadow behind the shroud.

“Princess,” William said, bowing deeply. “I brought the visitor.”

Jeremie followed suit and bowed as well. Although he didn’t dare utter a word in greeting. If the princess Aelita was as cold and hostile as her swordsman and handmaid, then Jeremie was certain that he didn’t want to stick around for long.

“Thank you, William,” the princess’s voice was sweet and melodic, like the gentle tones of a violin. The tenderness of her words took Jeremie aback, and he felt his heart skip a beat and his stomach go to knots.

She continued, “What is your name, traveler?”

Jeremie stammered for a moment before answering, “My name is Jeremie Belpois. I am a scholar in service to your cousin Prince Odd of the kingdom Della Robia.” His glasses slid down his nose and he pushed them up again quickly.

“A scholar… My cousin sent an intellectual on such a rough journey?” there was a kind laugh in her voice. “He was always a strange one.”

“You can say that again.” Jeremie could feel himself smiling.

Princess Aelita’s kind demeanor was refreshing, and he was relieved to be welcomed like this. “I came to formally request your assistance in defending against king Xana and his forces. May we meet with your father to discuss terms?”

Princess Aelita went quiet for a moment before answering, “My father has been missing for many years now.”

“What?” Jeremie exclaimed in shock. “King Franz is missing? Why didn’t Della Robia know about this?”

“Xana laid siege to my kingdom…” she explained sadly. Jeremie could see the princess’s dim shadow as she placed her head in her hand. “And through a series of horrific events, killed my people. My father went missing and I have not seen him since…”

“So, like I told you,” William interjected impatiently, “we can’t help you. So go home.”

“Please William,” princess Aelita said measuredly. “You may rest here until the blizzard has passed. When it is safe, I will supply you with a horse to replace the one you lost, and you will be on your way.”

Jeremie spoke up, “But, princess-“

“And please, don’t tell my cousin what you found here. I presume he has much to deal with already.”

“Yes… yes your highness…” Jeremie hung his head. He came all this was for nothing. He almost got eaten, stabbed, and nearly froze to death for absolutely nothing. What was he going to tell Odd?


	3. Chapter 3

The interior of the palace was just as desolate as the rest of the capitol city. Only the hallways and rooms that were frequently used were maintained, and the ground was lousy with dust. Some corridors were inaccessible, frozen over with a thin layer of ice, corrupted by the cold of the outside.

William lead Jeremie through the palace to the kitchen where princess Aelita had instructed Sissi prepare a meal for their guest.

William was clearly unhappy to have Jeremie there, so as they walked, Jeremie assured him. “I’ll be out as soon as the snow is gone. I don’t want to be here either.”

“Oh, but it’s not as simple as that,” William explained, frustration tinting his voice. “Blizzards here can last for weeks—sometimes months. We’ll be stuck with you for a while.”

Months? Jeremie couldn’t be stuck here for that long. What about his research? What about Odd? He was supposed to be back home in two days. On top of that, there was no way to communicate with his friends back home to assure them that he was safe.

“There’s no way to get out of here?” Jeremie asked, panic setting in. “I can’t be away from Della Robia for that long!”

“You don’t have much of a choice. All we can do is deal with it,” William said and then left Jeremie in the kitchen with Sissi.

The maiden turned and rolled her eyes at him. “The last thing we needed here was another egghead taking up space.” And then she left as well, leaving Jeremie to eat his dinner alone.

“Nice talk,” he called after her sarcastically before sitting down in front of the bone broth and bread that Sissi had left him. It was nothing in comparison to the kinds of meals he got back home, but the warm broth was just what Jeremie needed after freezing outside for so long.

“How is Odd?” princess Aelita’s voice cut through the silence of the kitchen.

Jeremie choked on a piece of his bread in surprise and took a sip of broth to wash it down. He turned to look at the princess, muffling his coughs behind a hand. She was lingering in the hall, hiding behind the doorframe timidly. All Jeremie could see was the edge of the skirt of her dress and a few strands of fluffy pink hair. Jeremie turned back around to offer her the privacy William had told him she wanted.

“He’s in good spirits, despite king Xana’s attempts at overtaking the kingdom,” Jeremie said. He rested his chin in his hand. “I hope we can figure something out without Lyoko’s support.”

“I’m sorry we can’t be of more help,” Aelita apologized quietly.

“Don’t be, your majesty. If we had known what you went through, I would never have come here.”

“Please… Call me Aelita. No need for the formalities.”

“Well, Aelita…” Jeremie couldn’t control the blush that was quickly spreading to his ears. He was suddenly very glad that Aelita couldn’t see his face. “I will stay out of your hair until it’s time for me to go.”

Aelita left again, and Jeremie finished his meal in silence. He stood and peaked his head into the hall. William had told him that his bedroom was down the corridor, to the left, and the second door to the right. Jeremie slowly wandered that way as he observed the architecture of the palace. It was a beautiful place, hidden beneath the sands of time.

Della Robbia lost contact with Lyoko ten years ago, when Jeremie was seven and even before he had become a scholar at the age of eleven, making him the youngest royal scholar in Della Robbia’s history. Jeremie knew, based on what he had been told about the princess, Aelita was seventeen like him. So, assuming that the loss of contact was caused by Xana’s attack, which seemed more than likely, Aelita had been alone here since she was a kid. Sissi and William also looked young too, maybe seventeen and nineteen respectively, Jeremie thought. What a terrible way to grow up…

Jeremie finally found his room where Sissi was still preparing his sheets. She looked up at him and scowled. “I can’t believe Aelita wants me to wait on you too. It is unacceptable. Absolutely unacceptable.”

“If you’re so against doing your job, why don’t you just leave?”

“Leave? Are you crazy?” she scoffed. “This is a place to sleep and eat. I don’t have anywhere else to go, idiot.”

Jeremie didn’t appreciate his intelligence being insulted, but he supposed Sissi was right. So, he just changed the subject, “I’m curious, where do you get your food from? All trade and communications have been cut off to Lyoko.”

“William goes out and buys supplies every month, duh. What do you think it just magically appears?” She finished gathering the old sheets and replacing them with new, fresh ones and left without another word.

Jeremie exhaled and sat down on the bed heavily. If he was to spend all of his time year only interacting with such hateful hosts, he was going to have a long few months ahead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey again! Just wanted to give a quick note!
> 
> You probably noticed that I made the characters older for the story! (Everyone is either 17, 18 or 19, depending on how old they are in canon.) I wanted to give some explanation as to why I did this in case my intentions are skewed. I had a very specific timeline in my head for this story, and it just didn't make sense to have them be 12-16. 
> 
> I knew I wanted the palace to be forgotten over time, and I knew I wanted Aelita to be old enough to have remembered what happened first-hand. Which meant I couldn't make her 12, because she would have been 2 during Xana's attack. 
> 
> That's a lot of explanation for something that probably matters very little to most of you, but that is why! I just always see people aging up characters to be creepy, and I am not doing that! It just makes for more convenient story telling!
> 
> Anyway! Thanks for reading, and I'll see you next week!


	4. Chapter 4

For the next few weeks, Jeremie spent his time exploring the accessible portions of the palace. Soon, he knew the functional areas as well as he knew the palace back home.

William and Sissi avoided him almost entirely, but Aelita would occasionally visit him to carry a short conversation before leaving him alone once again. It was pretty lonely.

Jeremie’s favorite place in the palace was the barren ballroom. The tall glass windows looked out upon the snow-capped city below and offered him a wonderful place to read. He would drag an old piano bench from the corner of the room to the windows so that he could lean against the cool glass and become immersed in his literature for hours. Unfortunately, he had only brought four books with him—enough to hold him over for about a week. He had blown through all of his reading options and was now reluctantly rereading them again.

“The snow isn’t gonna to let up any time soon…” Jeremie muttered to himself as he looked out at the violent winter. “How am I going to get through this with nothing to read?”

“You can borrow books from my collection,” Aelita materialized at the edge of the room, her form hidden in the shadows at the far corner behind the piano.

Jeremie jumped and dropped his book in surprise.

Aelita let out a musical laugh and Jeremie could hear her skirts rustling. “I’m sorry for frightening you.”

“How do you sneak around like that?” Jeremie caught his breath and picked his book back up. He stared into the shadow but he couldn’t make out the princess at all.

“This palace is full of secret passages,” she explained. “It’s much faster than walking through the halls.”

Jeremie looked around the room in fascination. “Wow…” He smiled. “Cool.”

“Yes, it is very ‘cool.’” Aelita giggled. “Feel free to use them if you can find them. I know you’ve been exploring the castle. Someone with a curious mind such as yourself should find the passages quite fascinating.”

She continued on about the books, “My library is extensive. I can show you if you like?”

Jeremie stood and nodded. “That would be amazing! Let’s go.” He stepped toward the shadows, but he could hear Aelita quickly turning away.

“No!” she exclaimed suddenly. “Not together. I’ll meet you there.”

“Um…” Jeremie paused and then nodded. “Yeah… sure.”

After a few minutes, Jeremie found his way to the palace library. He had looked around in there, but hadn’t dared touch anything without explicit permission. Now that Aelita herself had invited him inside, he was excited to explore deeper. It was also worth noting, Jeremie thought, that this was the only room without a speck of dust.

“Aelita?” Jeremie looked around, his eyes starry with the prospect of so many new tomes of knowledge to explore.

“I’m here, Jeremie,” she answered from behind a partition on the far side of the room.

“What is this place?”

“This was once my father’s library. It’s full of all kinds of research, so I’ve dedicated as much of my time as possible to reading and learning as much from these books as possible.”

“So you’re sort of a scholar, like me.” Jeremie chuckled good-naturedly.

“I suppose you could say that. Except I mostly read about magic and how to use it.” Aelita giggled. “But enough about me. What kind of books do you enjoy reading, Jeremie?”

“All kinds,” the young scholar responded. He ran his hand along the neatly organized spines. “Plays, poetry, research, history. Everything but romance, I suppose.”

“What do you have against romance?” Aelita asked.

“It’s highly unrealistic and illogical. The serendipity in those stories is statistically unlikely at best.”

“Well, that’s boring.” The princess laughed at him respectfully.

“What is that supposed to mean?” Jeremie stopped, his hand hovering over a mathematics book that caught his eye.

“I don’t mean to be disrespectful.” It sounded to Jeremie like Aelita was sitting down in a chair behind her screen. “I just didn’t expect you to be so cold toward happy endings.”

“With all due respect your highness, happy endings don’t exist.”

“I beg to differ.” Aelita paused for a moment and then said, “Go grab the book on the shelf behind you. The one with the purple spine.”

“This one?” Jeremie turned and reached for one of the books on the bookcase she was talking about.

“No, the other one.”

Jeremie turned away from her voice and reached for another one.

“No, no. To the left.”

“There’s a million books purple books here,” Jeremie said in frustration.

“This one…” Slowly, Aelita came up behind Jeremie and place a gentle gloved hand over his fingers to guide him to the correct book.

Jeremie took it and smiled as he opened his mouth to thank her. But before he could talk, he realized how strange it was for Aelita to approach him like this. He spun around and was so shocked at what he saw, he dropped the book with a dull thunk.

Standing where Aelita should have been was a creature with fluffy pink fur, ram’s horns, and a long, swinging tail. The creature was much taller than Jeremie and was clad in the princess’s gloves and gown. As the monster processed the horrified look on Jeremie’s face, that is when he realized that this _was_ the princess.

“I’m sorry,” she gasped as she covered her face in shame. “Forget you saw me, please.” As she ran away, disappearing into the secret passage behind her partition, Jeremie caught a glimpse of a pair of cloven hooves where her feet should have been. 

Jeremie shook himself out of his surprise and called after her, “Aelita! Wait!” but she was already gone.


	5. Chapter 5

“You lousy scholar!” William stormed into Jeremie’s room, his sword brandished menacingly in his hand. “You made the princess cry! For that you shall pay!”

“Oh, put a sock in it, William,” Jeremie snapped back. He was sitting at the desk, his head hung in his hands. Although William’s massive sword was rather intimidating, the young man was too distraught to care. “I didn’t mean-”

William interrupted, “She is a beautiful, elegant young woman and you should be ashamed!”

“I was surprised!” Jeremie yelled back, silencing William in an instant.

Jeremie hadn’t raised his voice the entire time he had been there. He was antisocial and conflict-adverse, and more often than not, he kept his head down. But his sudden outburst caught the swordsman’s attention.

Jeremie continued, “I didn’t know what to say. I didn’t mean to hurt her.”

He shook his head. He was overwhelmed with shame. How could he have been so stupid? Clearly, Aelita was insecure about her appearance, and when she trusted him enough to show him who she was behind the screen, he froze. For the most accomplished scholar of Della Robbia, Jeremie thought himself a massive fool.

“Do you love her?” William asked suddenly, with a level of tenderness that caught Jeremie off-guard.

“Do I- Do I _love_ her?” Jeremie stammered. “I don’t… I just met her? It wouldn’t be very logical to love her based on how little I know about her.”

“Love isn’t exactly logical.” William rolled his eyes as he sheathed his sword and leaned against the wall. “Jeez, your head is just full of formulas and equations, huh?”

“Well, yes. That’s my job after all.”

William exhaled deeply, as if Jeremie was working on his last nerve. He sat heavily on the ground. “Fine. Love or not, you know her secret now, so I might as well tell you what happened to her. So sit quiet and listen.”

* * *

_It was a warm summer night. The kind where the humidity clings to your skin and makes you feel groggy and calm. King Franz sat with his daughter in his study, reading a bedtime story to lull her to sleep._

_Just as the princess had drifted off, screaming broke out in the streets below. King Franz ran to his window, only to see his beloved kingdom alight with flame. King Xana had attacked, and his army of the undead was taking no prisoners._

_King Franz scooped princess Aelita into his arms and rushed through the entrance to a passage in his study. He fled down the steps, careful not to wake the precious package in his care, and made his way to his secret place—a place of magic and sorcery. The king had been preparing for this day for years, and had mastered all kinds of magic that could protect him and his child._

_He had meant to cast a enchantment to protect from king Xana until he could find a way to stop him, although the details of this spell have been lost to time. But something went wrong, and king Franz unleashed a powerful curse upon his daughter._

_When princess Aelita awoke, she had transformed into a monster and her father was nowhere to be found. The only people left in the entire kingdom were the princess, the daughter of the royal treasurer Jean-Pierre Delmas, and a servant boy with dreams of becoming a knight._

* * *

Jeremie stared at William for a few seconds after he finished his story. It was incredibly farfetched, but the princess was a literal monster, so it was hard for even Jeremie to deny the tale. “How could you know all that?”

“Because, I was the last person to see king Franz before he went missing,” William said quietly.

“You were?”

“I was the only servant left alive, and I had managed to find him in his hidden room. He told me to take care of Aelita and to wait with her until the danger passed.” William slammed his fist against the ground. “So I just sat there with her and by the time we emerged, Lyoko was half-burned, and the king was gone.”

“You can’t blame yourself for that, William.” Jeremie pushed his spectacles up. “You were a kid. You couldn’t have saved anyone. It would have been impossible to do anything, so blaming yourself is-”

“Illogical,” William interrupted. “I know.” He clenched his jaw and looked to the side.

“Anyway,” Jeremie continued, turning in the chair.

He intertwined his fingers and held them over his mouth in deep thought. “You have no idea how to break Aelita’s curse? Why doesn’t someone just read the king’s notes and figure it out?”

Jeremie had mastered all sciences—biology, chemistry, astronomy, etc.—but the one science he had never been quite able to fully master was that of wizardry. He dabbled, sure. And he understood all of the principles, but he had never been able to perform magic himself.

Aelita’s situation was a new and exciting scientific opportunity to observe a real curse at work. Curses of any sort were outlawed in every kingdom, and had been illegal for decades, so this was a unique opportunity.

William shook his head solemnly. “That’s easy for you to say. Both me and Sissi have scoured that room and neither of us can glean a single thing from any of it.”

“What about Aelita? She’s smart. She could probably figure it out.” Jeremie added quickly, “No offense.”

William shrugged off the mild insult to his intelligence and ran his hand through his hair. “She refuses to go in there. I’m sure you can understand why.”

“Show me, then.” Jeremie stood. “I’ve studied magic. I might be able to make sense of king Franz’s research.”

“I can’t give you permission to go in there.” William shook his head. “It belonged to Aelita’s father. I can’t just let a stranger waltz in there.”

“What am I supposed to do then?”

“Ask her directly. I don’t know.”

Jeremie scratched the back of his head and exhaled hard. “I made her cry. I don’t think Aelita will be too eager to talk to me.”

William stood and pointed to himself with his thumb. “If you really think you can help her, just leave that to me.”


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I realized at approximately 3:30 AM this morning that I forgot to post this chapter yesterday. Sorry about that!

In a matter of hours, Jeremie found himself staring awkwardly into a mirror, adjusting the collar of one of William’s jackets. The swordsman had insisted that having a dinner with a princess while wearing the same raggedy jacket he had been wearing for nearly a month was impolite.

Jeremie didn’t much care about his appearance. But even so, he relented and had allowed William to play dress up on him—it was the least he could do after he got Aelita to agree to see him again.

Sissi came into the room and loudly announced, “Aelita is ready for you. Don’t know why she wants to hang out with a lame-brain like you, but she’s waiting.”

The so-called “lame brain” smiled and nodded, choosing, for now, to ignore the maid’s unpleasantness. “Thank you, Sissi.”

Everything Sissi had ever said to Jeremie had been snarky and impatient. But Jeremie was smart enough to see that Sissi genuinely cared for the princess, and that much of her attitude was nothing more than a front. She was still a pain in the neck, but Jeremie felt lenient today.

“Yeah whatever.” She left briskly, her heels clicking as she went.

Jeremie made his way through the halls, his arms clasped behind his back loosely. He came into the dining room quietly, his face resting in its usual sternness.

Aelita, in all of her pink, monstrous glory sat at the far end of the table. Jeremie’s own place setting was directly across from her. The long table created a huge stretch of empty space between the two of them.

Jeremie took his seat and cleared his throat. “Nice to see you, Aelita.”

The princess smiled politely and nodded. But there was a sadness in her expression. “I know William told you to come apologize to me…”

“No! Well, yes…” Jeremie stammered. “But no… I wanted to tell you that I’m really sorry for how I reacted. I was just surprised.” With the distance between them, he had to squint a bit to see her clearly, even with his glasses. It was true, Aelita’s body was strange, but not repulsive by any means.

Her fur was well-kept, as were her horns. Two sets of long eyelashes framed her green owl-like eyes, and, upon further inspection, a dainty beak sat where her mouth would have been. This form was actually quite elegant, Jeremie thought to himself. Not to mention interesting beyond belief.

Aelita fidgeted under his gaze. “You don’t have to lie to me, Jeremie.” Aelita looked out the window to her left longingly. “I know that I am grotesque.”

“No you’re not!” Jeremie yelled suddenly, shooting up from his seat in a sudden surge of passion. Why had he done that? He would never dream of raising his voice at royalty—well, except for Odd but that was only because they had grown up together.

Aelita blinked in surprise and stared at him, her tail twitching behind her. She didn’t appear offended, but then again her expressions were fairly hard to read.

Jeremie blushed and cleared his throat again, averting his gaze. “I apologize… That was… rude.” He picked at his dinner for a few minutes, letting the silence distance him from his outburst.

After a while, Jeremie spoke up again, “I want to help break your curse. William told me what happened.” He proceeded cautiously, careful not to make Aelita talk about anything she wasn’t comfortable with. “I think, if you show me your father’s research, that I might be able to help.”


	7. Chapter 7

After dinner, Aelita guided willingly guided Jeremie him through the palace to where her father’s hidden study was located. Although Jeremie had spent much of his time wandering the halls, he had never before found himself in this area of the palace.

“With my brain, and the magical expertise you picked up from your father, we’ll make a great team!” Jeremie exclaimed joyously as he looked around at his unfamiliar surroundings.

Aelita shook her head softly. “I can’t bring myself to go in there with you,” Aelita said quietly as they walked. “But please, don’t hesitate to consult me.”

“Of course, princess.” Jeremie nodded. He thought, perhaps, that he had been presumptuous in assuming that Aelita would jump at the opportunity to work with him. “The sooner we get you back to your old self the better.”

Aelita let out a soft sigh. “Yes. Right.”

She stopped in front of her father’s old study and turned away, a pain washing over her avian face. “When you go inside,” she explained, “the passage can be found on the back wall. Pull on the red, unmarked book with gold trim to open the door.” After one more melancholy glance toward the study’s entrance, she left Jeremie to his work.

Jeremie entered the study cautiously. The room had been scorched and ransacked, and it clearly hadn’t been cleaned since king Xana’s raid. It was a profoundly grim reminder of what had happened. It was no wonder that Aelita couldn’t stand being in there.

The scholar followed the princess’s instructions. When he pulled on the book, a trap door popped open next to his feet, revealing a winding stone staircase that faded into black. Jeremie took a slow step down and the earthy coolness of the passage sent a chill through his entire body. Torches burst to life magically as he made his way down the slightly damp stairs.

Eventually, he reached the bottom, and emerged into a darkened room. Sconces lined the walls and lit automatically as Jeremie entered, revealing a massive magical laboratory with all kinds of books, tubes, and gadgets strewn about. In the center of the room there was some kind of sigil carved into the stone.

Jeremie whistled softly as he took it all in. It was beautiful. But he couldn’t let himself become distracted by the lab itself. Jeremie took up one of king Franz’s notebooks and got to work. If he was going to figure this curse out by the end of winter, Jeremie had to work fast.


	8. Chapter 8

King Franz’s study quickly became a source of obsession for Jeremie. He slept there, researched all day long, and when he ate, which wasn’t often, he took his meals there. Nobody in the palace had gotten a good look at the scholar for weeks.

One day, while scouring yet another one of the king’s journals, Jeremie was startled by William’s entering the room. Jeremie looked up blankly from his literature, a sleepy fog glazing his eyes like a dead man.

“How is it going down here, Jeremie?” William asked, looking at the piles upon piles of paper. “You look like death,” he pointed out bluntly.

It was true, Jeremie knew. He had been washing up in the tiny bathroom up in king Franz’s study and he hadn’t so much as changed his clothes in weeks. His already-terrible posture had worsened, leaving him hunched like an old man, his eyes were bloodshot from days without sleep, and he had lost weight from missing meals. Jeremie turned back to the notebook. “I’m getting close. I can feel it.”

“That’s all well and good…” William made his way over and put his hand on Jeremie’s shoulder. “But if you keep going like this, you’re gonna kill yourself before you actually find anything.”

“I have to help Aelita as soon as possible. I have very little time so I can’t afford to take a break.” Jeremie moved onto another notebook, which William snatched from him, leaving Jeremie’s tired hands floating in midair stupidly.

“Hey!” he protested.

“Just listen,” William ordered as he tossed the book onto a nearby table. “It’s Aelita’s birthday today and something tells me that she wants to see you.”

“Why me? She should know not to bother me when I’m so close to breaking her curse.”

“Okay, Mr. Superiority Complex.” William rolled his eyes. “It’s not a request. She stopped me from throwing you back outside with the wolves, so the least you can do to repay her is to celebrate her birthday with her.”

“Fine,” Jeremie relented.

“Good. Now, you’re going to go upstairs, bathe, and then get all dressed up in the clothes I left on your bed. Then, you’re going to have a mini ball with the princess.”

“A ball? Like with dancing?” Jeremie removed his glasses and rubbed his eyes. “I don’t dance, William.”

“You do today,” William retaliated dismissively. “See you in the ballroom in an hour.”

* * *

It was clear to Jeremie that these clothes had been tailored specially for him. Unlike the coat William had lent him for dinner, this ensemble fit him well, and suited him a bit better. It was still a little flashy for him—kelly green jacket, breeches, and waistcoat with gold trim—but he had to admit that it was nice to get dressed up, even if he didn’t care much for fashion.

He left his chambers and made his way down the hall to the ballroom slowly. He was filled with nervous energy—probably because he had been ripped away from his work so suddenly. He would get this ball thing over with and then get right back to work.

Jeremie came into the room and stopped in his tracks at what he saw before him. The once-dusty, gray room had been cleaned and polished until it shined. The marble floors were smooth and elegant, and the windows had been wiped clean and offered a crystal-clear view of the snow outside. William sat at the piano, playing a soft song that seemed to fill the room with warmth. What was the most breathtaking, however, was Aelita.

She was wearing an elaborate pink ballgown. Her hands, for once, weren’t shrouded in gloves, dainty and human (one of the only remaining indicators of Aelita’s humanity beside her voice and personality), although still covered in soft, pink fur.

Jeremie’s mouth suddenly went dry and he froze at the entrance to the ballroom, his hands opening and closing absently at his sides. After a few moments, he took a deep breath and approached the princess with a shaky, stupid grin. He looked up at her and managed to squeeze out a feeble, “Happy birthday.”

“Thank you…” Aelita smiled sheepishly—or whatever was akin to smile for her. “I’m sorry if William forced you to do this. I wanted to get your head out of your book for at least a few minutes.”

“I-I’m… Close to curing you,” Jeremie stammered. “If we make this fast, I might have it figured out by the end of the week.”

“Oh…” Aelita’s expression changed and she turned away. “I see. I’m sorry for inconveniencing you. If that’s the case, you should go back to work.”

She apologized with such sincerity and such deep sadness. Jeremie wanted to get back to work but… He reached out and grabbed Aelita’s arm. “I’m a pretty lousy dancer.” He wanted to make Aelita smile again even more.

It was lucky that Aelita didn’t really have any feet because Jeremie would have stepped all over them. Aelita was elegant and pristine in her movements, but Jeremie felt clunky and awkward. He was supposed to lead, but he gave up on that about five minutes in. He was much more comfortable letting the princess show him what to do anyway.

“You really are a terrible dancer, Jeremie,” Aelita teased, holding back a laugh.

“I warned you. I’m much better equipped for reading.” He removed his hand from her waist and swept some hair out of his eyes nervously.

“We can take a break if you like?”

“No. I’m fine. I’m figuring it out.” Just as he uttered those words, Jeremie’s feet suddenly tangled in his fancy new shoes and he tripped quite dramatically, pulling Aelita down with him. They fell together in a clumsy rustle of fabric.

William shot up, stopping his playing. “Princess! Are you alright?”

“I’m fine, William,” Aelita answered. She was giggling uncontrollably, holding her sides. “Just a little ruffled.”

Jeremie sat up and started laughing as well, snorting every so often. “Maybe a break would be a good idea.” He stood again and offered his hand to Aelita.

She took it and rose to her hooves. “Let’s go to the balcony then.”

It was freezing, but Sissi had handed them warm fur-lined cloaks before they stepped outside. The balcony was lit with bright moonlight that peaked out from behind the wispy nighttime clouds. Jeremie leaned against the railing, staring out across the frosted kingdom below. When Aelita leaned next to him, their shoulders brushed.

Jeremie looked over at her and smiled. Their faces were close, and Jeremie could hear his heart beating hard in his ears.

“How old are you today?” He knew the answer, but he wanted to fill the space with something—to hear Aelita’s sweet voice that he was grateful had been untouched by her mysterious curse.

“Seventeen. Same as you.” She let out a gentle sigh and looked at the sky sadly. “This is my tenth birthday since my father disappeared.”

“Well hopefully Della Robbia can help find him. If he’s still alive that is, which seems highly unlikely after all these years but-” Aelita looked at Jeremie pointedly, stopping the scholar mid-sentence.

She shook her head a scoffed, her warmth suddenly fading.

“What? What’s wrong?”

“You could be a bit gentler, Jeremie. I know my father might be dead. I’m not ignorant.” Aelita shook her head again, as if waking herself from some fantasy. She folded her hands over her skirts. “But you don’t care about comforting me at all. All you want is to fix me.”

“No… Aelita… That’s not-”

“Thank you for spending the evening with me… But I think I’m going to go to bed.” Before Jeremie could say anything else, Aelita was gone.

He stared after her, his mouth open dumbly. He covered his face with his hands and leaned over the balcony railing. William’s words from a few weeks before echoed through his skull, “Do you love her?”

* * *

Jeremie’s heart felt heavy, and with each pump, it was like someone was stabbing him in the chest. He tried to pour himself back into his studies, but for once, research wasn’t making him feel better. He couldn’t focus. He couldn’t think. He had to talk to her.

As he lay awake on a cot in the king’s study, Jeremie finally decided to talk to her. He rose from his makeshift beg and crept through the halls toward Aelita’s room. He knocked softly on her door.

“Enter,” Aelita called from inside.

Jeremie came in, shutting the door behind him. Aelita had apparently been awake as well. She was sitting on the lounge by her window, staring out into the night. She turned and frowned when she saw him standing there. “What do you want from me?”

“Aelita…” He took a deep breath and, for probably the first time in his life, he let himself speak from his heart. “My intellect is a curse as much as it is a gift…”

“What do you mean?” she asked impatiently.

Jeremie sighed and sat on the edge of her bed heavily. “Sometimes I get stuck in my own brain. But I’m starting to realize that logic isn’t always the answer.”

Aelita slowly looked back at him, her posture opening up slightly.

“I want to help you find your father,” Jeremie said sincerely. “I care about you, and about… making you happy.”

He felt his face go red and he was suddenly very thankful for the dim lighting inside of the room. In the shade of night, Aelita didn’t have to see him being so bashful. “I apologize for letting my big brain get in the way of understanding why finding your father is so important to you. I don’t want to make you upset ever again…”

Aelita sighed and considered him for a long moment. “I suppose…” she contemplated, “I can give you another chance to prove that you’re not a complete hard-headed jerk.”

Jeremie smiled. “I would be honored if you would allow me continued access to your father’s research, despite my lack of social tact.”

Aelita’s expression softened and she nodded. “Of course, Jeremie.”


End file.
